Michael Crichton: Next (2006, HarperAudio)
Audio CD
English language
Published Nov. 28, 2006 by HarperAudio.
Welcome to our genetic world. Fast, furious, and out of control. This is not the world of the future—it’s the world right now. Is a loved one missing some body parts? Are blonds becoming extinct? Is everyone at your dinner table of the same species? Humans and chimpanzees differ in only four hundred genes; is that why a chimp fetus resembles a human being? And should that worry us? There’s a new genetic cure for drug addiction—is it worse than the disease?
We live in a time of momentous scientific leaps, a time when it’s possible to sell our eggs and sperm online for thousands of dollars and to test our spouses for genetic maladies. We live in a time when one-fifth of all our genes are owned by someone else—and an unsuspecting person and his family can be pursued cross-country because they happen to have certain valuable genes within …
Welcome to our genetic world. Fast, furious, and out of control. This is not the world of the future—it’s the world right now. Is a loved one missing some body parts? Are blonds becoming extinct? Is everyone at your dinner table of the same species? Humans and chimpanzees differ in only four hundred genes; is that why a chimp fetus resembles a human being? And should that worry us? There’s a new genetic cure for drug addiction—is it worse than the disease?
We live in a time of momentous scientific leaps, a time when it’s possible to sell our eggs and sperm online for thousands of dollars and to test our spouses for genetic maladies. We live in a time when one-fifth of all our genes are owned by someone else—and an unsuspecting person and his family can be pursued cross-country because they happen to have certain valuable genes within their chromosomes….
The future is closer than you think. ([source][1])
Leider kein übergeordneter Handlungsstrang. Wirkt wie die Zusammenfassung der Publikation zum Zeitpunkt des erscheinens. Nicht wirklich ein Thriller.
вислухав аудіоверсію перекладу французькою. сам роман не вразив: сюжет сшито з кількох ліній, жодна з котрих не витягує до рівня технотрилера, якого ми чекаємо від крайтона. деякі перебільшення, до яких автор вдається, аби надати гостроти перспективі генетично-заклопотаного майбутнього, особливо в галузі юриспуденції, викликають лише посмішку. коротше, не вразило.
In true Crichton-esque style, this is one part education in genetic research and practices, and one part warning about the things that have gone or may go wrong. As usually, it all ends with the author's note which summarize his fears and points out how much wrong has already been done by gene patenting practice.
In a court case in the book, a judge rules that the genetic research company which bought cell tissue from a cancer survivor, OWNS the cells. That leads to the absurd situation in which the genetic company loses the sample cells, then pursues the donor to replace what's loss, since the cells are ruled their property. Even more bizarre, when they can't find the original patient, they pursue his daughter and grandson, who are "in possession of stolen property", i.e. they inherited grandfather's cells. Spooky.
Sadly, such unexpected twists are few and far between. Mostly …
In true Crichton-esque style, this is one part education in genetic research and practices, and one part warning about the things that have gone or may go wrong. As usually, it all ends with the author's note which summarize his fears and points out how much wrong has already been done by gene patenting practice.
In a court case in the book, a judge rules that the genetic research company which bought cell tissue from a cancer survivor, OWNS the cells. That leads to the absurd situation in which the genetic company loses the sample cells, then pursues the donor to replace what's loss, since the cells are ruled their property. Even more bizarre, when they can't find the original patient, they pursue his daughter and grandson, who are "in possession of stolen property", i.e. they inherited grandfather's cells. Spooky.
Sadly, such unexpected twists are few and far between. Mostly we are bombarded with weird cases of genetic research, patenting and scandalous experiments on wildlife. There are too many storylines, few of which never come to conclusion, and few others never intersect. The main characters, human and animal, are so numerous, they are hard to follow. There are hybrids - and I'm not talking about cars, but rather products of crosses between human and animal DNAs. The ones I can't quite swallow are the talking orangutan and chimp. A shorter, more focused and more action-packed story would, to my opinion, better emphasize the author's concerns.
